Red Ribbon
by Allagenda-domsitzers-chan
Summary: Miku takes a job at the busiest cafe in the city. But she's in for more than she expected, like reliving a memory she'd rather forget. (Mystery Pairing! Read to end to find out what it is!)T for some sad stuffs and maybe a few scares to you, the audience.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

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A/N: Hi! Trying out a new story, one I hope you'll like... (and that I'll like :D) Anyways, there are no definite pairings yet, but there might be soon. And I don't want anyone to die in this story (A first) so let's see where this goes!

Enjoy.

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With a small _ding_ , the door opened.

"I know, I know," came a voice, light and happy. After all, today was a good day- so far.

A girl with almost knee length teal hair walked in, a small smile gracing her face and lighting up everything around her. She hadn't felt this joyous in months, really.

She walked into a small bathroom, tapping her phone's alarm off as she did. She was excited, nervous, and content all at once. She looked in the mirror and grabbed a brush, determined to look perfect- and her hair was included in that.

She tugged a little at a few places, but managed to pull it into a high bun on the top of her head, with a little framing her face. She secured it with a simple black and white ribbon, then shook her head a few times to check that it would hold. It did.

Next, she washed her face and applied a thin layer of mascara and a little bit of gold eyeshadow. It popped against her hair and made the blue in her eyes seem all the more bright. She then chose an almost natural red for lipstick, managing to get it on perfectly.

She then left the bathroom, returning to her bedroom and swiftly dressing in the outfit she'd laid upon the table the night before.

A short sleeved shirt with a teal string of a ribbon, a plain black skirt that hugged her figure and went to below her knees, and black tights. All complete with a pair of simple black heels.

She smiled, checking the mirror again, before checking the time. It read roughly 8:50, so she decided it was time to go. After grabbing her purse, she walked outside, locked her house, and was on her way.

With a small chime, the glass door swung open to admit Miku into the cafe.

She looked around at the business of the place, filled to capacity at nine thirty in the morning. Several waiters and waitresses were standing at tables, bringing drinks to customers, walking into the kitchen, etc.

None of them really looked at her, until a few seconds passed and a young man with short, cobalt blue hair, juggling an empty tray and a tray stand, came over to her and smiled pleasently, and asked in a lilting voice, "What can I assist you with today, madam?" She shuffled a little, feeling his eyes inspect her outfit.

"Um, I was here for the new job opening... if it wasn't taken already," Miku stated, now seeing a lot more workers than before. Over ten, at least.

The man laughed, then said, "Oh, it wasn't. As you can see, we get a lot of buisness on weekdays, and even more on Fridays and Saturdays. If you came looking for a job, I can guarantee you now that you'll have plenty to do."

Miku nodded, also noticing the haste of the workers as they rushed to take orders, deliver cups of liquid and little treats like bagels and cakes, breads and a few sandwiches.

"Here, before we set you up with a table I have to take you to see the manager. Or else," he said simply, "she'll have me working garbage and dishes duty all month again. I figured out fast that wasn't anything I was good at."

Miku smiled, walking along past customers as she trailed the waiter down a hall, past the bathrooms, then to a staff only door. He unlocked it and pointed down that hall.

"Third door on the left. I need to get back to work or our five star rating might drop... and I will never live again if they figure out I was gone for too long." He fake-shuddered, then smiled one last time before walking back to the main cafe.

Miku took a single moment to concentrate all her nerves into a gagged and bound little rag doll, then knocked on the door she had been led to.

A shuffle, then a softly spoken, "Enter."

Miku did so, peeking in carefully, then walking in so her back was to the door and it shut slowly.

Meiko had short brown hair, complimented by a red hairband. She also had a spectacular bust, which was partially obscured by her silk red blouse with short sleeves that went to her elbow, then rippled off into little ribbons. She wore an apron over that, like all the waiters and waitresses, and Miku wondered- because there was evidence that it was pretty well used, and the notepad in the pocket was almost empty- how often Meiko had to get up and work along with the many others in the cafe.

"So," Meiko started slowly, "you're the one who's taking a position here?"

Miku nodded, bun weighing on her head as she did.

Meiko sighed, then said, "We don't have enough help as it is. Someone's always rushing to grab this order, give that order, here, there, ceiling, wall, kitchen. The only time it abates is when Lily or I gets in on it, and if we both work with all our possible employees, then it's even better."

"Um... who's Lily?" Miku asked, not recognizing a name.

"Lily's our assistant manager, and also just a regular waitress, more often than she should be. She hasn't taken a holiday since '05, when we got this place opened, and there was nothing in it. And the rest of the waiters and other staff never seem to get a break, either. The only time they do is when Lily and I get out there.

"We're open almost every holiday you can imagine, even Christmas. It's a little cruel to the staff, maybe, but it's not like they don't get paid overtime. And it's not like it doesn't help. Christmas is currently one of our best days, and we've actually once made over ten thousand dollars on Christmas Day in '12. Split into seven or so, that was a thousand extra added onto everyone's monthly check.

"Lily and I use our 'checks' to mostly just keep this place running. And we don't usually split our money into how many people there are, but that Christmas was special. When everyone found we'd reached ten thousand, right then and there, they clapped. I felt that it was a special sort of thing, because every single staff member was smiling proudly." Meiko smiled too, her eyes glazed as the memory passed through again, then blinked and looked at Miku.

"This buisness is a pretty big thing. It's been running for eleven years now, as of May 21st, and I've done pretty crazy things to keep it up. Even though we get plenty of customers, our staff works so hard, they get at least 60% of all the money, including Lily and I. Sometimes, we've even had to give them over 90%. And it's actually a rare thing that Lily or I will get a full paycheck, because most of our funds go toward maintenence, supplies, and rent."

Miku could see it. The shirt Meiko was wearing, clean and fresh, was snagged and worn in many places. It looked like she'd worn it often. And the aprons of every staff member looked like it didn't know what a sewing machine looked like by now. But even though they used ceramic mugs that were all in season, clean plates, new spoons and well decorated tables, and the place looked wonderful, she could tell that here, every last dollar was spent. Any savings were likely for something they needed then, something they had to take away from themselves.

Meiko sighed again, then smiled apologetically. "Sorry. I've just been rambling on and on, and I'm sure you're needed somewhere. That is, if you still want the job."

Miku stared for a moment, then asked, "This is.. it? For an interview, it's pretty simple."

Meiko grinned. "Yeah, well, most back out after ten seconds of me speaking- very few actually make it to where I'm sure they can bear my talking." She stood, and Miku did too, smiling lightly. Then, Meiko gestured towards the door, offering her other hand as she did so. "Our job training is also pretty basic- listen to what you're told, have an amazing sense of balance and possible clairovoyance, and learn to run in heels." She then gestured at Miku's choice of footwear, still smiling. "The last one's the hardest, trust me- or you can try wearing flats, nice sneakers, something that won't break your ankle."

And with that, Miku was back in the main hustle and bustle serving area of the cafe, where she stood for a moment before walking towards the kitchen, as nearly all the waiters were currently in there.

"Ask for Stardie, she'll help you get an apron and some paper, straws and maybe napkins and a pen. She'll either be in the kitchen or at the register- the kitchen's more likely. Kiyo would never leave the register unless it was an emergency."

Miku had nodded then, filing away both names in her head. Now she was in the kitchen, and looking for anyone who looked available.

There was a girl with salmon colored hair, wearing an emerald green shirt and skirt under a thin apron. She was juggling about seven things at once, so Miku decided to leave her be for now. Next there was a girl with periwinkle blue hair and a deep blue dress under an embroidered apron, which looked like it would fall apart at any second... and she was cooking way too much to be in a talking mood. Finally, there was a girl with short blonde hair who had just set down about ten trays. She stepped back, then sighed before looking at some of the orders.

Miku hurried forwards before the girl could get too busy.

"Um, hi..." The blonde turned, then smiled a little.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Um, I was supposed to talk to... Star-"

"Oh! Okay, you're the new one. Star!" The girl with periwinkle hair rushed over, after making sure every dish she had been working on was at a good enough stopping point, for the moment.

"Rin, take over for me, that one set of rolls needs to be taken out soon and then the chocolates should be cooled and then there's that new thing-"

"Yeah, yeah, I've got it," Rin called, already walking off.

'Star' huffed for a minute, murmuring, "Watch as the rolls are burnt on the left side again. Or as the chocolates melt. Ugh." She then seemed to remember Miku was there, and she turned, smiled a little, then said, "Hi, I'm Stardust, or Star. Prefer Star. Anyways, you're the new one?" Miku nodded. "Kay then. Rin, don't let those muffins burn!"

"Shut up and go!" Miku smiled as Rin waved a hand, then checked the oven and swore lightly.

"You're welcome," Star called back to her. "Come on, I'll lead you to your locker and your uniform stuff."

After memorizing her locker number, getting her very own threadbare apron (which had a hole in the left pocket), and getting loaded with straws, plastic utensils that were in a small container, napkins and paper, Miku received a pair of running shoes that looked like they'd never seen water.

"Uh..."

"Here." Star held them out, and Miku hesitantly accepted.

"I..."

Star raised an eyebrow. "Rule numero uno- all newbies wear the official learner's training shoes until they have learned to do a backflip in them."

"What?!"

"Get them on, hurry. And don't bring your own shoes tomorrow either," Star said. "You wear those until you've worn a hole right through the sole."

Miku stared before sighing and taking off her heels and putting on the dirty, overworn shoes.

She would wear thick, old socks tomorrow.

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A/N: ...yeah, I have absolutely NO idea where this could go. Not even a real prompt. Meh.

But I guarantee, by the end of the story, your pairing will be shown to you the viewers, all finalized and good. Hopefully. And I probably won't even know until that point where I write it down, myself. Could be KaiMi. Could be LuKu. Could be MikuxRana, even. Idk, we'll have to see.

(It's highly likely that this story will need OCs. Not as main characters, but as little subplot charaters like customers to the cafe. I'll tell you when I need them, but it's not now, so calm yo horses.)

See you next chapter, then~ :)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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A/N: Hey, me again. Anyways, let's get started! :D

Enjoy.

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After finally going back into the serving area, Miku was once again confronted by Star.

"Just go up to the tables with the red dots on the side. Those customers are usually aware that if there's a new waiter, then they'll only be waiting those tables. Just put on your best impress of the apprentice sorcerer, and off you go!" (codes for orders)

Miku lightly called for her to wait a moment, but Star was already attached to the sides of the stove. Miku sighed, and walked out towards one of the tables with red dots (Was that... ketchup?) and smiled, saying brightly, "Hi, what can I do for you today?"

There was a girl who looked like she was about ten, with blackish brown hair and eyes; a boy who looked like he was maybe seven, with blonde hair and an eyepatch; and a girl with silvery blonde hair who looked around nine.

The brunette looked up then said, "Um, I want the hot chocolate with sprinkles." She looked at the boy, who Miku could barely hear.

"He wants tea with double cream and three sugar cubes, and I want the strawberry milkshake," the blonde relayed. Miku nodded, thankful for the beverage codes written at the top of the notepad. She bowed a little, like everyone else usually did, then walked towards the kitchen without getting bowled over by the other waiters and waitresses, most of whom were running. When she reached the kitchen window, she went to put the slip down-

But there was a girl with pink hair, who, even though she was balancing at least thirty cups, moved in a graceful and fluid way. She placed cups with differently tagged plates on the sill, then grabbed another ten slips and vanished.

Miku quickly learned that if she didn't want to get walked on, she had to practically parkour everywhere. It wasn't uncommon for the servers to jump around a table, and very often Miku watched one of the waiters look up and fall into a perfect split, allowing someone to jump over them. Very rarely was it a girl that was jumping over a waiter.

Miku was now going to probably forgo skirts, too. At least, really tight ones. Like the one she was wearing now.

She continued to take orders, but then realized something. One of the tables with the red dot, somewhere near the left, no longer had a red dot. She couldn't see it, and was lightly confused. All those tables were filled, so...

Miku noticed then that on one of the tables, where the dot usually was, a girl's hand was hanging. It was probable that she was just covering the dot, but...

Miku delivered another round of drinks and a cake to her tables, then went over to the table after about five minutes.

"What took so long," the girl- the one with her hand hanging over the possible dot- muttered, pressing about fifty buttons on her phone with one hand in less than ten seconds.

"Neru!" The girl across from Neru, who had silvery white hair, one hell of a chest and red eyes, glared.

"What?"

"Um... is that...?" Miku tilted her head a little, trying to lightly move Neru's hand.

And indeed, there was a perfect little red dot.

"Oh, okay. Guess it is the right table," Miku sighed, relieved.

"Wait, what? Neru, did you cover up the dot?"

"Hey, she should have memorized the tables already. Not my fault if she doesn't remember."

"Neru!"

"Is that your order?" Neru drawled, her phone dropping out of her hand a little. "Because I'm right here."

The other girl sighed. "Fine. I'm getting the vanilla malt, and Neru..."

" _Haku_." She mocked the other's tone, smiling smugly.

"...Lemon Ice Surprise."

"Wait, no no no! Take it baaaack!" Miku watched as Haku laughed and Neru began rifling through the menu, trying to find something she liked.

After a few more seconds, she got a root beer, and Miku smiled lightly.

"You sure? I think today's surprise has cat hair in it," a passing waitress with brown hair and freckles said happily. Neru looked sick.

"I'm sure..."

Haku laughed again as Miku took the menu and put in the order.

The cafe was open until midnight on Sundays, and on most weekdays it was open to three AM. Apparently college students who were nearby were mainly insomniacs, and liked the coffee, as it helped them stay awake to write essays and do homework. Sometimes high school students came in too, and every so often there was an overachieveing middle school student who came in. Those kids were usually in eighth grade, or coming with their older sibling.

However, on Saturdays and Mondays...

The cafe was empty at nine and reopened the following day at five AM.

At around eight thirty, Miku noticed a sudden increase in the number of customers, who usually asked if they could get their order to-go. At eight fifty-five, the only one left was a boy who was waiting for a small espresso.

Miku was surprised, then realized that most of the other waiters and waitresses were sitting in the booths, seats, sighing and one of the waitresses with blonde hair looked asleep.

Meiko emerged from the back room- Miku hadn't seen her all day- and stretched, sighing. "Damn, my back's stuck again."

"Do the chair thingamajig." The blonde who Miku had assumed was asleep spoke, and Meiko groaned before sitting down in one of the smaller chairs, leaning back so far her hair almost brushed the floor. Then there was a crack, and Meiko's face relaxed.

"There it is," she muttered. "Who needs a chiropractic when there's a perfectly free chair."

"That wasn't free, Mei," the blonde replied. "Paid half my rent for it."

"You didn't have to."

"But I did because I'm a kind and amazing person."

Finally, the boy left, and Rin came from the kitchen to lock the door and flip the sign, which now was showing 'CLOSED' to the empty street outside.

After another minute, the pink-haired girl Miku had seen earlier emerged from the kitchen, smiling tiredly.

"Drinks."

Meiko hummed, taking a mug with a rose on it from the tray. Rin took a teacup with a yellow flower, and so on until there was only one cup left- a mug with a very pretty teal morning glory painted on the side. The girl offered it to Miku, who smiled and accepted it, noticing the excess Cool Whip and sprinkles on top. She took a sip and brightened, tasting the richest chocolate mixed in with a sweet, sweet fudge.

The pink haired girl took the seat in the booth across from the blonde who had been talking to Meiko, taking a sip of her own drink.

"Thanks, Luka." Luka nodded in reply.

After a minute, the brunette with freckles looked over at Miku, smiled, and asked, "So, how are you liking the job?"

Everyone suddenly looked at Miku who smiled back. "Well, I think I learned what a true workout is," she said, and everyone laughed.

"Don't worry, it gets worse," the chef with salmon hair said, grinning. "I'm Momo, by the way."

"Rin," Rin called.

"Lily," the blonde who was still halfway asleep murmured lazily.

"Avanna!" The brunette with freckles.

"Alys," the waitress with dark blue hair.

"Kaito." Waiter with cobalt blue hair that she met first.

"Kiyo," a black haired man- who was sitting at the register, Miku hadn't seen him move all day.

"Gakupo~" A waiter with long purple hair tied in a pony tail waved.

"If you don't know me you're in trouble," Star said. Miku laughed.

"No, if she doesn't know _me_ she's dead." Meiko walked over to sit next to Lily, who hummed.

Star tilted her head, then asked, "So can you do anything other than run?"

Miku chuckled a little, then said, "I can cook kinda well."

"Ooh, maybe she can help us," Momo said happily. Meiko squinted.

"That'll have to wait for next Monday." Momo groaned, and Rin hissed a little.

Lily sighed. "Anyways, tomorrow you'll start wearing good running clothes, and you might want to start jogging here, if you took a taxi today. Get some excersize, a little warmup per se."

Miku nodded, then yawned a little. Kiyo chuckled.

"Aww... she's tired..."

Meiko yawned then too, and then Lily yawned, and suddenly everyone was yawning. Miku yawned twice.

Suddenly someone laughed, and then everyone else was laughing for no reason other than it was probably a little late.

"Luka... does this have caffeine in it?"

Luka smiled and said nothing, but her eyes spoke loudly enough.

Avanna groaned. "Meiko, can we little ones go now? Some of us need sleep unlike certain goddesses who never even need coffee," she muttered, earning a laugh from Meiko, Lily, Luka and Alys.

"Sure, goodnight. And Miku?" Miku stopped, having begun to get up.

"Hmm?"

"You can keep the apron, but wear it each morning. Do whatever you want with it, as long as it's still fully functional."

"...Thanks."

Miku walked home that night, staring at the dim stars above and wondering about nothing in particular.

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A/N: ...I've already ruled out a few people who weren't introduced yet. Oops.

Oh well, just means less competition on who gets Miku, amirite? BD

...Should I be ashamed that I am making a chart for this already? Like, who likes Miku the most?...you tell me. (Won't post it until story's over)

Anyways, hope you like! :DDDD


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

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A/N: Yaay, next chapter 3RD ONE YAAAY YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Finally... after like a year *coughcoughsorryimlazycoughcough*

I'm excited :DDD Re-updating again! For my very few readers.

Enjoy.

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Miku had a dream.

She saw all the people she had met in the cafe, customers and whatnot. Lily and Meiko, Luka and Rin, Star and Momo, Haku and Neru...

The list went on and on, and each and every one of them was smiling happily.

Slowly, they began to fade, and Miku had cried out, reaching for them- but then something slipped from behind her. And she fell down a very dark, long hole, screaming, watching all the people above smile hopelessly and disperse into bits of light and vanish.

And with that, she woke up, staring at the ceiling.

Tears were streaming down her face, and as she remembered what might have caused that dream, the tears increased until she was sobbing.

She rolled out of bed and hit the floor, rubbing her moist eyes, heading for the bathroom.

She stood, flicked on the light, then stood at the sink and turned it on. Cold water spashed into her face- because her sink's cold water was very forceful- and she spluttered before turning it off, looking into the mirror.

Her eyes now had thin bags under them, from having gotten little to no sleep in the past week. After the first night, she had stopped sleeping soundly, but as to why she had no idea.

Until now.

Held in the grip of a fear from long ago, Miku sat on the floor of the bathroom, crying and scared. She didn't want it to happen again. Not again.

She didn't want anyone else to leave.

Miku hiccuped, then crawled to the lights and turned them back off, then got back into bed.

She wasn't ready for it. If it happened again...

Miku sniffed.

Well, she might not forgive herself.

About four hours later, Miku was up, dressed in a pair of comfy jeans, a fancy dress shirt (again), and this time it was tied with a simple gold ribbon. Her hair was up in the same old bun, secured with a similar gold ribbon.

As she entered the cafe, she slipped on her apron, which was embroidered with a small _M_ in the pockets. She went out and bought thread to reinforce the stitching, which made her feel more relaxed- she didn't have to act like she was wearing strings.

She slipped into the kitchen, and noticed Star already making six different kinds of brownies.

"Hey, Rin! What should I burn today?" It had become a common joke among them to ask Miku what she would burn that day (even though she had done just fine so far).

"Try the mini-caramel-pancakes! And don't waste all the caramel, Meiko wants some later!" Miku nodded, smiling, before starting to gather ingredients from Star, who didn't mind once she was done with them.

After about three minutes, Miku had a small plate of mini-pancakes, which she topped with some sliced banana, a few strawberries, and some chocolate chips, drizzling the whole thing in a fountain of caramel. She drooled, having tried one of them before, but refrained, as it wasn't hers.

Her breakfast was a simple bagel with cream cheese and a coffee, with two sugar cubes and some cream.

Sighing, she prepared another stack of pancakes, hearing the bell that signified the start of the day. Miku felt sorry for Luka, since she was the most busy, working alone on the drinks. Sometimes it was coffee, other times milkshakes, once even a slushie. She did as much as she could, and once a month the cafe had an 21+ thing, where alcohol was served with presentation of ID.

None of the workers under 21 were allowed in, either- it was their main day off.

And within minutes, Luka was already running to the window, juggling about seventeen cups and mugs.

Another day in paradise.

Miku took a look at the orders already up, only taking the ones with the teal highlighter on the bottom. It was also a thing for the waiter or waitress to mark the order with a color, for the chef they felt the order specialized in. Miku was happy to see three orders of the mini-caramel-pancakes, and a little less happy to see the order of a chocolate and marshmallow sandwich (a summer-themed treat). The chocolate had to be slightly melted but not too melted, and the marshmallow had to be still melted when it reached the customer. Also, it had a bit of a fancy setup.

Miku delivered the pancakes, then started lightly melting the chocolate and marshmallow. She drizzled the chocolate on the special graham cracker bread that Rin made, allowing it to melt in a small block. She toasted the marshmallow a little more, then quickly stuffed in under the other slice of bread and put it on the plate, drizzling a little honey next to it and placing a small little heart candy.

She rushed it to the window, where Kaito was already waiting.

"You didn't make it into charcoal, did you?" Miku smiled.

"Nah, figured I'd do that with your lunch. And if I can make charcoal out of food, then I can make diamonds too, so I'll get rich and donate all of the diamonds to charity."

"Aren't you just the sweetest?" Kaito grinned.

"Really? Me?"

"I was talking to the s'more, doofus."

"Keep flirting with your food, then," Miku called, elicting a laugh.

After that, Miku relaxed a bit. Her nightmare forgotten, she buried herself in the work and the smell of baked goods.

Later that day, the lunch shift bell rang, and Miku and Rin took their lunch break as Meiko entered the serving fray.

Miku's lunch was a small sandwich with a soda, and Rin's was some chicken and rice (which was actually really good).

How Miku knew it was good? Well-

"Hey, Miku, trade." The half-finished chicken was handed to Miku, and Rin was passed the other half of the sandwich (they didn't share drinks).

And that's how Miku knew the chicken was good.

"Did you cook this?"

Rin paused a moment to look up. "Hmm? Oh, that. Yeah, I made that last night but didn't finish. Like it?"

Miku smiled. "Well, if I didn't you might be in trouble. Meiko has made me send her pictures of all my meals in the past week."

Rin laughed. "A chef must always practice their skill in making charcoal out of perfectly good ingredients."

"And Meiko apparently likes my profound talent at it, she keeps asking for more."

They quietly laughed for a minute before the lunch bell rang again, and this time Kaito and Luka entered, smiled and waved as Miku went to start serving and Rin to continue cooking.

"Come on, lovebirds, order already," Piko moaned. Rin's younger brother, Len, and a girl with long brown hair named Kokone were sitting opposite of Piko and Yuzuki, who had already ordered.

Kokone giggled, and Len blushed. "Um, I'll have the Chocolate Lover's cake, and Len..?"

"Uh, Strawberry Syrup Confection." Miku wrote the two orders down, nodding and marking the order with yellow. Rin loved cakes, and both orders needed cake.

After setting the slip down, she ran over to the next table, which was Haku and Neru. Miku smiled a little. For some reason they were pretty fun to be around, despite Neru's odd sense of humor.

"Hey, Neru, did you pass on that essay?" Haku laughed, and Neru groaned.

"Oh, come on! You got a B+, you passed!"

"My parents are going to kill me," she groaned. "I'll be put into foster care~..."

"Well, I'll just adopt you then."

"But you're no good at cooking."

"We'll just get Miku to cook for us, right?"

Miku grinned. "Sure, Haku. At a price of 100$ per hour, of course... out of _Neru's_ wallet."

" _Nooooo..._ " Haku and Miku laughed, and Miku soon delivered their regular drinks.

"How did you pass? Did you bribe someone?"

Neru groaned again. "I wish."

Haku smiled. "No, she just got really lucky. That one quote, you remember, right? Apparently the teacher was looking for it, and noone else had it. It was actually part of the criteria, but noone else remembered- Neru didn't either, but the teacher saw it and decided it made up for the general sarcastic 'tone' of the rest of the essay. So she was the highest grade in the class for that essay."

"Wow, Neru, you owe me one."

Haku laughed as Neru flipped them both off, raising her head just enough to check her phone.

"I'll get you a fifty percent off coupon to McDonalds."

"Oh, how cruel! And after I do _so_ much for you."

Haku laughed. "How about just fifty bucks?"

"I'm not rich enough to give her _that_ much."

"Twenty-five."

"Boo."

"Ten."

"That's the cost of this thing," Neru muttered, poking at the plate of crepe in front of her.

"Nine hundred."

Neru jumped, yelling, " _What do you think I am, made of money?!"_ She pouted as everyone around her laughed, then sat back down.

"Actually, I'm seventy percent sure you are actually infused with cash. Like, if you bled, you'd bleed coins and five-dollar bills."

"You wish."

That night, Miku got to help close the cafe, which included washing the windows, washing the floors, washing the chairs, washing the tables, washing her face because Meiko said it had dirt on it, washing her hair (a prank pulled by Momo and Alys, who got it all soaked and insisted that since it was already wet she should wash it), and washing the dishes. After doing all that, it was only eleven PM- six hours to opening.

"Hey, Miku."

"Hmm?" Miku looked over to Lily, who was standing in the doorway, her hair also wet (but by her own choice).

"If you don't want to walk back home, you can stay here- guaranteed, you'll be up on time and you'll have the most sleep possible. Plus, the extra bed is all empty tonight, so it would be nice and comfy for you," she said. Miku then remembered that Meiko and Lily had the apartment above the cafe.

"Um, I didn't-"

"Bring clothes? No worries. We've probably got something in your size, and we'll wash your shirt so you can wear it again. And, I've got about seventy different pairs of shoes. Don't worry, you'll be fine."

"...Okay."

She put the last plate away, then followed Lily upstairs, and blinked as the lights were flicked on.

"Home sweet home," Lily said, smiling wearily. "It's not much but it's better than nothing."

There was an old, very cracked coffee table, the carpet was an unappealing grey color, and the walls were a simple spring green, faded beyond repair.

"This way." Miku stepped aside as Meiko came up behind her, guiding her to the guest room.

The room itself was small, enough for the bed, a small walkway and a dresser. There was also a window, which had thick curtains over it.

"Here's some pajamas... they might not fit, they're mine, but try them on." Meiko tossed a ball of cloth into Miku's face, then left, shutting the door.

Miku struggled into them, noticing that they were a little long sleeved... and it was a weathered silky shirt Miku had seen Lily wear a few times in the cafe.

The pajama pants were plain print pants, which had polka dots on them. There was also a pair of thick socks and some slippers, which Miku slipped into. Then, she pulled out her small purse from her jacket- which she had retrieved when Lily had let her put away her trainer shoes- and got out a few ribbons. She pulled her hair up into two pigtails, which nearly reached the ground. The ribbons were white, which Miku liked. And silky.

She went back out for a minute, and went to the bathroom. Then, after using one of the new toothbrushes Rin had apparently donated for times like this, Miku headed back to the guest room and turned off the lights.

Then she opened the curtains.

The lights of faraway stars greeted her through the city smog, and Miku yawned.

Minutes later, leaning against the windowsill, she was asleep.

Meiko decided to peek in, and noticed the tealette curled up against the sill. She sighed, then moved Miku into the bed, pulled up the covers, then left again, smiling.

lllllllllllllllllll

A/N: ...on second thought, maybe I shouldn't have kept going tonight. *shudders*

...SOMEONE MAY DIE NOW *cries profusely*... AND I KNOW WHO MIGHT DIE TOO AND I'M MAD WITH MYSELF AND GOD WHY

*sobbing on the floor*

(...see you next chapter.)


End file.
